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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · pop · march · spell · fork · deal · drill · race

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. spell — magic
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. pop — to visit
  7. march — the month
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. drill — army training
  11. race — a contest
  12. march — the month
  13. wake — a trail
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. deal — to handle
  16. march — music
  17. drill — a practice
  18. race — the arms race
  19. drill — the tool
  20. race — humankind
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — letters

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com